AWARE BUT NOT YET AWAKE

Speaking Tree, ToI, 30.07.2011

The locality where i live in Pune, has an proactive residents forum wherefrom we take up civic issues with officials of various government bodies and elected representatives from time to time. The objective of this registered forum is simple and one pointed: to improve the quality of life of residents. So varied issues such as refuse collection, street lights operation, road surface quality, nuisance control and cleanliness, traffic streamlining and other such issues are taken up regularly. So formidable has this forum grown to be that civic officials actually respond to most matters in 24 hours.

However, there are a set of civilians, besides the incorrigible cynics, who never attend or even bother to voice the civic issues concerning them at this forum. They are well-educated, well heeled, concerned and aware of the issues too. They come across as friendly and social people too with good communication skills and intelligence. Then what is it that holds them back from participating? Through observation and a process of elimination, i came to a conclusion. An aware but an un-awakened mind.

Here is where the difference lies.

An aware mind is one that knows that a problem or issue exists but refuses to do anything about it. For example an overweight person with health issues may know that s/he is in suffering due to weight issues and can get to tackle this situation by, say, getting some exercise or bettering his/her eating habits. But instead chooses to remain in a state of inertia about it. The person is aware (about the existence of the problem) but not awakened to address it. Or a person may know that s/he gets angry easily with slightest provocation and this may have landed him/her into many difficult and embarrassing situations too, but yet takes no steps to calm and reign in the mind when such an emotion arises. Again, s/he is aware of the problem but not awakened to provide a solution to it to overcome it.

It is quite easy to be lazy. Laziness requires no effort. To be active requires effort. To identify a problem may be easy but to tide over it requires great resolve. Imagine if an animal in the forest knew it were hungry but refused to do anything about it! It would certainly perish. Or if we knew we are weak in a particular subject but choose not do anything about it before the exam would prove a certain disaster! Likewise, merely being aware of a problem does not solve it. It is the same difference as between: kuch karna hai (problem identification) vis-à-vis kuch kiya hai (problem redressal). While the former (awareness) is passive acceptance the latter (awakening) is active acceptance. This is the fundamental difference.

Likewise in the case of mind control. In an weak or distorted mind there are tempestuous thoughts and emotions arising every day. Some maybe virtuous but most are repetitive and harmful. Ofcourse, we are not so much concerned about the virtuous ones because they will bring us benefit but what about the others un-productive, vicious ones that constitute a majority, which by nature will bring upon us suffering? Then we say, I read somewhere that we should become aware of their arising and they will subside on their own. This is true. However, the real problem arises is getting down to doing it! Before we realize into becoming aware of their arising, they have already slipped past our vigilance and have raised their ugly head in the form of a speech or body action. And then we realize it’s too late and repent the action later. This happens because although we know we must be aware, we haven’t taken adequate care and effort to be awakened to actually getting down to training our minds. We have become somewhat aware of the problem but we are not awakened about it to tackle it consistently enough. To be awakened about such a mind condition requires training which in turn requires hard work. But we seldom do it.
Our parents, friends and well-wishers may point out some hidden faults in us and we become aware of them. But despite being aware that we need to address those hidden faults, we chose to do nothing substantial about it, which is the same thing as not being awakened to it. It seems too much of an effort for somewhat ‘invisible’ gains.
On the other hand, we may regularly refer to all the internet sites or browse every book possible to add to our work related intelligence quotient. People come to know that you are ‘in the know of things’ and you can impress them with your acquired knowledge. So here we are aware of the repercussions of ‘lagging behind’ and by undertaking tedious work we are also awakened to the situation as it affects our ‘visible’ status in society.

Therefore, when it comes to matters which are purely worldly in nature we seem aware and awakened in doing something about it. However, in matters of the mind or in developing our metaphysical quotient we are often aware of what needs to be done but don’t easily get awakened about getting down to doing it with due diligence.

If we were to bring about generating awareness and awakening in living our lives, it would lead us to a better quality of life within and without.